Honoring strong Indian families q NICWA 2016 Annual Report NICWA Staff Members Executive
Operations
Kim Christensen
Tia Begay
Matthew Scott
Adam Becenti
Crys O’Grady
Terry Cross
Alexis Contreras
Lauren Shapiro
Barbara Gladue
Puneet Sahota
Brenda Hernandez
Valorie Gaede
Sarah Wittmann
Shanna Knight
David Simmons
Sarah Kastelic
Emily Hancock
Chandra Wilson
Jackie Malstrom
Alton Spencer
Tristan Tipps-Webster
Monica Hawley
April Ybarra
Cori Matthew
(Ojibwe) Development Director
(Seneca) Founder and Senior Advisor
Development Associate
(Alutiiq) Executive Director Member Relations Manager
(Diné) Financial Services Manager
(Grand Ronde) Project Coordinator and Research Assistant (Shoshone Bannock) Project Coordinator Project Coordinator
(Ioway) Bookkeeper
Programs (Siletz) Director of Operations
Director of Events and Training
(Diné) Community Development Specialist (Anishinaabe) Family Engagement Specialist
Event Coordinator
ICWA Specialist
(Klamath-Modoc) Human Resources Manager Executive Assistant to Sarah Kastelic and Library Specialist
(Akimel O’odham/Yaqui) Youth Engagement Specialist
Research Manager
Research Director
Director of Government Affairs and Advocacy Community Development Specialist
(Salish and Blackfeet) Director of Programs & Policy
Sarah Hopper
Operations Coordinator
5100 SW Macadam Avenue, Suite 300 • Portland, Oregon 97239 Telephone (503) 222-4044 • Fax (503) 222-4007
www.nicwa.org twitter.com/NativeChildren • facebook.com/NativeChildren • linkedin.com/groups/National-Indian-Child-Welfare-Association
Dear Friends of NICWA, As I reflect on a landmark year of advocacy gains in critical steps to increase compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), including the release of guidelines and subsequent regulations, I am proud that NICWA played a crucial role in making this happen. On December 12, 2016, the new regulations go into effect, clarifying protections for Native children and keeping more families and communities together. Children will know who they are and have a sense of belonging, and families will have the opportunity to pass on their practices and teachings, important protective factors for Native children and youth. Native children will inherit and be strengthened by their community’s traditions. Your partnership helped make this happen. Together we honor the tradition of strong Indian families. After three decades of advocacy, this was a hard fight and a hard win. Yet we anticipate continued opposition to ICWA and compliance with the regulations. We also know that the recent presidential election has created a climate of uncertainty about the future and our recent gains in Indian child welfare policy. NICWA is already hard at work defending our policy advances and positioning the next phase of our work to continue progress towards protecting the right of tribes to care for their member children and families. Historically, we have found allies on both sides of the aisle, and we will continue this tradition of bipartisan work to move policies forward that address the needs of Native children. Most importantly, NICWA is focusing our energies on ICWA compliance so that Indian children and their families receive the protections they deserve from this important rule. We have already incorporated the regulations into our training institutes, updated our online ICWA course, and anticipate a record turnout at our annual three-day conference (April 2017 in San Diego, California), the largest gathering on Native child advocacy issues, where ICWA compliance is at the core of our programming. With your support and partnership, NICWA is on the frontlines of defending ICWA and protecting Indian families. I am humbled by NICWA’s mission and appreciate this opportunity to thank you for linking arms with our board and staff to continue to advocate on behalf of Native families and tribes. I hope that you will join me this coming year in defending ICWA—through staying connected via social media, becoming a member, giving a gift, and subscribing to our mailing list through our website. On behalf of our board of directors and staff, and most importantly those we serve, thank you! With much gratitude,
Sarah L. Kastelic (Alutiiq) Executive Director
Board of Directors Officers President:
Vice President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Gil Vigil
Rochelle Ettawageshik
Alex Wesaw
Gary Peterson
Teressa Baldwin
Paul Day
Debra Foxcroft
Robert McGhee
Patricia Carter-Goodheart
Jennifer Elliott
Linda Logan
Theodore Nelson, Sr.
Cassondra Church
Donne Fleagle
Luke Madrigal
Mary Tenorio
Angela Connor
Jocelyn Formsma
Aurene Martin
Derek C. Valdo
(Tesuque Pueblo)
(Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians)
(Pokagon Band of Potawatomi)
(Skokomish)
Members (Inupiaq) NCAI Youth Commission (Nez Perce)
(Pokagon Band of Potawatomi) NCAI Youth Commission
(Choctaw)
(Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe)
(Sac and Fox)
(Athabaskan)
(Swampy Cree)
(Tseshaht First Nation)
(Oklahoma Choctaw)
(Cahuilla Band of Indians)
(Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)
Board of Trustees Chair:
Members:
John Shagonaby
Brad Earl
(Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians)
(Nez Perce descent)
Sherry Salway Black (Oglala Lakota)
(Poarch Band of Creek Indians)
(Seminole Tribe of Florida)
(Santo Domingo Pueblo)
(Acoma Pueblo)
Requests for Information This last year saw the release of the most guidance we have received on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) since 1979. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) released new agency and state court guidelines on implementing ICWA in February 2015 and binding federal regulations in June 2016. The new federal guidance, along with some highly publicized court cases, brought a wider awareness of the law and increased the number of requests for information we receive at NICWA. Thanks to grants from the Spirit Mountain Community Fund and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, NICWA expanded our capacity to provide information, referrals, and emergency telephone social work services to families threatened with the removal of their children. In one of our only direct services, NICWA provided key information to callers—including relatives, tribal and state child welfare workers, and judges and attorneys— about ICWA. NICWA spoke with families about their options to respond to the custody proceedings, whether ICWA applied to their cases, what their rights were, and where they could get additional legal counsel and access support services. NICWA received over 800 calls in the last fiscal year requiring child welfare, social work, and technical policy expertise to support families in crisis. Within a twoweek period last May, NICWA received over 70 calls following the media coverage of a Choctaw ICWA case in Los Angeles County. With the December 2016 effective date of the ICWA regulations, we anticipate an increased need for information in 2017. Providing accurate, timely information is critical to addressing complex cases before they come to the attention of national media.
January
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Strengths-Based Indicators In partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the National Congress of American Indians, NICWA published an article on the importance of using cultural values and cultural identity to develop strengths-based indicators of well-being for Indigenous children and families. Child well-being indicators are used to develop programs and policies for children, youth, and families. However, mainstream child well-being indicators are often deficit focused and do not align with many Indigenous worldviews. Indigenous worldviews require a description of child well-being based on strengths that reflect the web of connections among the child, family, and community; cultural and spiritual practices; and individual health and stability. Using the relational worldview framework, NICWA identified a set of strengths-based indicators to complement mainstream health-oriented measures to create a more
accurate and meaningful picture of well-being for children and families in Indigenous communities. The relational worldview framework highlights the importance of balance in the four quadrants of mind, body, context, and spirit, and emphasizes that instilling cultural values and positive cultural identity is as necessary to well-being as economic security and physical health. NICWA’s policy and research teams collaborated on this project with the aim of creating a guide for policymakers and researchers to adapt child well-being indicators to better reflect Indigenous worldviews and the realities of tribal and urban American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Because child well-being indicators drive important policy and funding decisions at the federal, state, and tribal/local levels, it is important to ensure that measures of AI/AN children’s well-being are holistic and grounded in balance and harmony in human relationships and the natural and spiritual world.
February
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Youth Participation Youth are at the heart of NICWA’s work—central to both our mission and to the way we work in community. Youth perspectives and voices are incorporated in NICWA’s approach to our work from the ground up, including our commitment to youth representatives on our board of directors. For almost a decade, NICWA has welcomed the appointment of two youth members to our board of directors by the National Congress of American Indians Youth Commission. Every three years, the Youth Commission appoints two new youth representatives to the NICWA board. These youth representatives are charged with acting as liaisons to bring information about NICWA’s initiatives back to the Youth Commission, and to advocate for youth needs and priorities on the NICWA board. Youth representatives are full voting members of NICWA’s board of directors and actively contribute to discussions about the organization’s current initiatives, policy goals, and strategic direction. Several youth representatives have continued to serve on the NICWA board after their Youth Commission terms have concluded. NICWA’s current two youth board members are Teressa Baldwin (Inupiaq) and Cassondra Church (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi), both elected by the Youth Commission in 2015. Teressa is the founder of Hope4Alaska, a youth suicide prevention and awareness campaign; a graduate of the University of California, San Diego; and a legislative fellow at the National Congress of American Indians. Cassondra served as co-vice president of NCAI’s Youth Commission from 2014–2016, is a graduate of Michigan State University, and is pursuing a master’s degree in social work at her alma mater.
March
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Annual Conference The 34th Annual Protecting Our Children National American Indian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, held in St. Paul, Minnesota, on April 3–6, 2016, was one of our most successful conferences ever. We hosted over 1,000 attendees, with 136 presenters and 72 workshops! We were thrilled to be back in the Midwest and enjoyed tremendous support from tribal governments in the Great Lakes region and from the local Minneapolis American Indian community. Conference panels included using traditional practices and teachings to promote healthy development and wellness in early childhood as well as policy developments in Canada and the United States that have the potential to dramatically affect funding, service delivery, and social work practice for Indigenous children. NICWA was particularly honored to host a federal panel in which a memorandum of understanding in support of inter-agency collaboration to better promote the implementation of and compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act was announced. At the banquet dinner, conference attendees had the opportunity to support NICWA’s work through a Las Vegas vacation raffle and paddle raise. NICWA’s board of directors bestowed its greatest honor, the Champion for Native Children Award, on University of New Mexico law professor and former Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn. NICWA thanks our new and returning record-breaking 41 conference sponsors as well as our conference attendees. We value your partnership in strengthening the well-being of AI/AN children and families by increasing the knowledge, skill sets, and resources of those who seek to improve the lives of and outcomes for Native children and youth.
April
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35th Annual Protecting Our Children’s Conference, San Diego, CA, April 2–5
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Executive Transition Thanks to the generous funding of the Kresge Foundation, NICWA has been convening 10 partner organizations from across the country since 2013 to explore issues related to executive transitions and succession planning in culturally based human service nonprofit organizations. Partners from Black Administrators in Child Welfare, the Child Welfare League of America, the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, the Denver Indian Family Resource Center, First Alaskans Institute, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc., New York Council on Adoptable Children, and A Second Chance, Inc., convened in 2013, 2015, and 2016 to discuss experiences of and strategies for successful succession planning in our organizations.
This project grew out of NICWA’s own experience planning for an executive transition. When NICWA’s founder Terry Cross began to consider the path he wanted for his own transition out of the executive director role, he worked with then-Deputy Director Sarah Kastelic to secure funding from the Kresge Foundation to convene a group of partner organizations facing similar transitions to explore how these transitions, and succession planning more generally, may play out in unique ways within culturally based organizations that are engaged with and accountable to diverse communities. This learning community met in person several times; continues to participate in ongoing distance learning opportunities through emails, webinars, and conference calls; and all received mini-grants to pursue their own succession planning, leadership development, and capacity-building projects.
May
May is National Foster Care Month National Indian Child Welfare Association • www.nicwa.org S UNDAY
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5 NICWA 2018 Conference: Call for Artists Due
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Strengthening Tribal Governance NICWA is dedicated to strengthening tribal governance because leaders with increased information and support are better equipped to ensure their member children and families have the services they need to thrive. Our government affairs and advocacy team responds to this need through training and technical assistance, dissemination of materials, and facilitation of peer-to-peer learning. This work includes developing policies and procedures for programs, increasing knowledge of how to effectively implement laws, developing inter-governmental services and funding agreements, strengthening the human services workforce, and providing strategies on how to leverage and prioritize available resources. Our approach ensures that formal service systems do not interrupt natural helping systems that exist within tribes. Often this work is about reclaiming tribal traditions, customs, and beliefs that have served tribal children and families so well in the past. We know that all tribes have cultural practices that are highly effective in caring for children and families. NICWA’s role is to facilitate the inclusion of those culturally valued practices in partnership with communities and their leaders. Last year, NICWA conducted seven tribal governance training sessions. We were able to reach a wide audience because trainings were conducted at national conferences that attract tribal leaders, including the National Congress of American Indians, United South and Eastern Tribes, and Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, as well as our own annual conference in April. During this same period of time, we delivered eight training sessions on the revised ICWA guidelines, provided testimony on the proposed ICWA regulations, and supported tribal leadership as they advocated for improved policies and discussed strategies for improving relationships with tribes at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee.
June
June is LGBT Pride Month National Indian Child Welfare Association • www.nicwa.org S UNDAY
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Investors
May 1, 2015—April 30, 2016
Individual Donors Allen, W. Ron Almolinna, Jody Baggett, Judy in memory of Jay Watson Bailey, Susan and W.M. Warwick Bailey, Robert and Patti Baker-Shenk, Philip and Charlotte Balderrama, C.H. and Talo Baldomaro Lucas, Cheryl in honor of Cecilia “Bessie” Bearshield Barr, Theresa and Alan R. Bartgis, Jami Belcher, Vertis in honor of her father Bentle, Laura Bentley, Regina Black, Ronald and Sherry S. Bohlen, Stacy Borden, Laura Boro, Justin Brown, Elaine Burrows, Steven Carter, Mary Castle, Vanessa Chandler, Victor and Joanne Christensen, Marilyn Clarke, Sarah
Stephens, Michele Stroik, Kari Templin, Mary Terrell, Kathryn in honor of April Ybarra Test, Gretchen Thompson, Shelly Thorbjornsen, Brian Tobin-Smith, Rachel in honor of Adrian Smith Trautmann, Kristine and Michael S. Klein Tremaine, Tom Trope, Jack Valdo, Derek Van De Car, Annette Vetter, Daniel Vigil, Gil Ward, Lisa Washburn, Kevin in honor of Sarah Kastelic Weber, Helen Webster, Joseph Weldon, Stephanie Whipple, Willeen White Eagle, Amanda Whitworth, Brandelle Wilson, Juliann and Bill Yescas, Deborah Young, Rodney Zug, Marcia Staff Christensen, Kim Barsotti, Elaine and Michael
Clyde, Melissa Cole, Barbara Collins, Priscella in honor of Virginia Root Comito, Martha and Ralph T. Connor, Angela and David Craig-Oldsen, Heather in memory of Lexie LaMere Crofoot, Thomas Cross, Marena Curtis, James and Marsha Daniels, Kathy Day, Monica and John Roth Day, Paul Dealoia, Mary and Paschal DeCora-Ayesh, Alana in honor of Elvina DeCora-Ayesh Deloria, Kathryn Doner-Feldman, Sharon Dude, Barbara in honor of Michelle Dude Dufresne, John Dupres, Christine Echohawk, Lucille Eckhardt, Michele Elkins, Marcella Elliott, Jennifer and Richard Nelson Emery, Janet Emrick, John and Jane Faller, Kathleen Farmer, Carmen Ferrara, Olivia Fisher, Fred
Fleming, Sharon Ford, Kim in honor of Bad River children Formsma, Jocelyn Francis, Debra Franklin, Euphemia and Chris J. Friesen, Barbara Fuller, Renee Gescheidle, Corinne Gilmore, Mikal in honor of Levi and Ester Giordano, Jo-Ann Gogue, Vernaline in memory of Joline Gogue Goodman, Denise in honor of tribes of Oklahoma Gordon, Patricia Gottshall Ross, Laura Greear, Rebecca in honor of John Spence Green, Morningstar Greenblatt, Sarah Guarisco, Dana and Amanda J. Guarisco, Shiloh Hacker, Sara and Nate Hansel, Iona and John C. Harden, Deborah and Andrei Harrison, Jahari Harvey, Sheronnabah in honor of Denver Indian Family Resource Center
Herzberg, Linda in memory of Joline Gogue Holder, Lea Ann Homer-Lundgren, Nicole Howg, Tracey Ironheart, Stephanie and James Jaakola, Julia Jacobs, Timothy C. and Mary Lou James, Adrienne Javier, Roberta Johnson, Melissa Jones, Francine and Laird Jones, Nadja Jorgensen, Miriam Karberg, Richard Kempenich, Hillary King, Janet Kiogima, Mary Kleinschmit, Julia Koch, Gerald and Rosette Kroll, Joe Kronick, Will Kuerschner, Suzie LaGou, Candace LaMere, Frank in memory of Lexie LaMere Lewis, Virginia Llerandi, Gabriel Long, Allison in honor of the twins Lounsbury, John
Lyons, Anita in honor of Maurice Lyons Madison, Jeffrey in honor of Jean Ann Madison Madrigal, Luke and Renda Maldonado, Allie and Jay Marshall, Daniela Martin, Michaelina Martin, Aurene in honor of Josh and David Clark Martin, Michael Martinez, Art Mason, Shary Mathews, Rodney and Eunice McCloud, Connie McDonnell, Anthony McGhee, Robert Mills, Cynthia in memory of Janelle Hamilton Morrison, Judy Johnson, Marcella Moses and Lance G. Mueller, Kristina New Breast, Theda Nolley, Charles Oberle, Linda Ontiveros, Cynthia Oubari, Amjad Panofsky, Margaret in memory of Wolfgang K. H. Panofsky Peterson, Gary and Yvonne
Plumage, Rebecca Porter, Clyde Potter, Bobbi-Jo Powell, Mary Powless, David and Anna M. Reer, Lynn Reitmeir, Mary Ann Richards, Mandi and Donald L. Riemers, Sheri in honor of Joyce V. Rodriguez, Melanie Romero-Ontiveros, Jacy Ryan, Jessica San Miguel, Roban Sanders, Susanne Schmitt, James Shagonaby, John Shapiro, Jay Shawa, Jon Shireman, Joan Silberstein, Helene Silk, Jay Silveroli, Nanette and Thomas E. Simmons, Dale Singel, Wenona Sizer, Rosanne and Dan J. Noelle Slater, Matthew and Faith R. Roessel Slizewski, Michael Small, Andrew Srinivas Vinjamuri, Kalyan St. George, Rebecca Stark, Lisa and Jason
Cross, Terry Kastelic, Sarah and Kristian Matthew, Cori
National Institute of Nursing Research Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Washington State
Annual Conference Sponsors
Match-e-be-nash-shewish Band of Pottawatomi Indians Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Morongo Band of Mission Indians Muscogee (Creek) Nation Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi NW Copiers Oneida Nation of Wisconsin Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Prairie Island Indian Community Sac and Fox Nation Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Seminole Media Productions Seminole Tribe of Florida Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry LLP Spirit Rock Consulting Standard Insurance The Jacobson Law Group Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation White Earth Nation
Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe
Tribes/Alaska Native Villages and Corporations Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Lummi Nation Muckleshoot Indian Tribe Poarch Band of Creek Indians San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of Washington Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Seminole Tribe of Florida Skokomish Tribal Nation Government Administration for Children and Families Food and Drug Administration Humboldt County, California
Foundations, Corporations, and Organizations Alton Foundation AMERIND Risk Management Corporation Annie E. Casey Foundation Doris Duke Foundation FCA Foundation G.A. Jr. and Kathryn M. Buder Charitable Foundation Johnson Scholarship Foundation Meyer Memorial Trust Midtown Cottages LLC Oregon Community Foundation Silberling & Silberling, Attorneys at Law Silicon Valley Community Foundation Spirit Mountain Community Fund The Kresge Foundation
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Ak-Chin Indian Community Bluestone Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery PA Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Chickasaw Nation Comcast Corporation Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Cook Inlet Tribal Council Delta Dental of Minnesota Eaglesun Systems Products, Inc. Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Gila River Indian Community Handel Information Technologies Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Kodiak Area Native Association Legal Department of Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
In-Kind Alaska Airlines Anaheim Fairfield Inn by Marriott Caesars Entertainment Disneyland Resort Eaglesun Systems Products, Inc. Ettawageshik, Rochelle and Frank Fleagle, Donne Fogo De Chao Lettuce Entertain You Logan, Linda NW Copiers Pendleton Woolen Mills Rorex Bridges, Jeanne Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of Washington Seminole Media Productions Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Tenorio, Mary Ward, Lynn Wesaw, Alex
Individual Members
Ninham, Jeanette Nolley, Charles Osceola, D’Anna Powless, Dale Rose, Ahniwake Rountree, Jennifer San Miguel, Roban Sargent, Dena Silva, Carol Smith, Leonard Stewart, Nancylee Strong, Lois Teegee, Mary Valdo, Derek Vigil, Gil Watson, Lisa
Anderson, Beverly Bausch, Cecilia Begaye, Catherine Black Feather, Robyn Carof, Sybil
Chisholm, Anita Contreras, Teresa Crofoot, Thomas Day, Paul Douglas, Cheryl Echohawk, Lucille Echo-Hawk, Lael Foxcroft, Debra Garcia-Martinez, Melissa Gladue, Barbara Glenn-Rivera, Danielle GoodTracks, Lark Griffy, Robert Guilfoyle, Michael Guy, Lloyd Jaakola, Julia Joe-Kinale, Rose John, Veronica Jones, Nadja Jozwiak, Frank Kamen, Michael Kastelic, Sarah Keith, Jennifer Lein, Laura Lindecamp, Robert Loring, Brooke Martin, Wesley Martinez, Davina Matthew, Cori McCarthy, Mary McGhee, Robert McKay Bryson, Ann Mendez, Angela Miller, Nancy Morrison, Judy Museth, Jeri Nimmo, Chrissi
Cooper, Randall Coosewoon, Rita Copenhaver, LaFon Cornish, Megan Coughlin, Terri Craig-Oldsen, Heather CrossBear, Shannon Crouse Cobb, Deborah Crudo, Tracy Cultee, Casie Curran, Kelly Cutt, Martha Dahl, Tom Dallas, Michael Davis, Leah Davis, Lisa Davis, Robert Daw, Raymond DeCora-Ayesh, Alana Degener, Pam Delgado, Evander Delorme, Bernice Demmert, Michelle Denney, Robin Denomie, Lauri Deprez, Nicole Deserly, Elizabeth Dewa, Jolene DeWitt, Angela Dixon, Aaron Domnick, Rose Dressler, Dylan Dubec, Bernice Dude, Barbara Dufresne, John Duncan, Janice Durfee, Hanna
Eason, Diana Edwards, Emma Eisen, Karla Ellefson, Julie Ellestad, June Elliott, Grace Ellis, Leanne Emery, Adirian Emery, Janet Enos, Antoinette Enriquez, Juan Carlos Ereaux, Michelle Escarte, Ozzy Espinoza, Chrishy Esquibell, Katelynn Estep, Steffen Estes, Tkay Ettawageshik, Rochelle Evans, Brianna Evans, Christina Factor, Crystal Fairchild, Meg Farmer, Carmen Fauni, Jayson Favorite, Lucy Feliciano, Juan Felix, Katherine Fernandez, Judy Fitzpatrick, Randeen Fixico, Nancy Fleagle, Donne Fleming, Shea Fodor, Brian Fore, Rachel Formsma, Jocelyn Fort, Kathryn Foxley, Adriel
Coral Bailey, Adam Cahn, Katharine Capistrant, Heather Carroll, Dione Cazares, Bertha Cross, Terry Dawsey, Vera Eddy Jones, Francine Esch, Jill Fleming, Sharon Giordano, Jo-Ann Givens, Fay Hudson, Stephen Leigh, Rovianne Main, Rebekah May, Jill McKenzie, Leola Parsons, Melissa Sanchez, Julie Saucedo, Karla Shanker, Tamera Simmons, David Smith, Adrian Strommer, Geoffrey Turquoise
Abbott-Foster, Connie Abdiu, Sandra Abrahamson, Heidi Abrams, Brenda Acosta, Amelia Aguilar, Caroline Ahenakew, Anita Ahenakew, Ruth Alholinna, Jody Allen, Sallie Altschul, Deborah Alvey, Joyce Ambrose, Gladys Anthony, Debra Archuleta, Gabriella Armstrong, Carol Atatise-Norwegian, Carrie Atine, Christine
Aude, Arielle Augustine-Edmund, Josephine Axtell, Sara Azure, Diana Bad Wound, Shirley Badiee, Shahrnaz Baker, Ann Baker, Nikki Baldwin, Teressa Banda, Sharon Barnes, Alvina Barney, Geneva Bartgis, Jami Barton, Dorothy Baum, Autumn Beakley, Angela Beard, Martha Bearing, Vernalyn Beasley, Shamika Beaver, Mary Beckett, Jessica Beckman-Lafave, Jennifer Benjamin, Chris Bertram, Lori Ann Beston, Jackie Bible, Elizabeth Bigsam, Rachael Billie, Fawn Billy-Elliott, Diana Binneboese, Erin Black, Leona Black, Travis Blaha, Amber Blake, Andrea Blake, Christopher Blake, Marlena
Blight, Shannon Bluehorse-Swift, Laura Bone, Renay Bottoms, Kathy Boyd, Rachel Boyd, Tonya Brady, Shawna Brammer, Misty Brandt, Jason Branson, Terra Breaux, Olinka Brewer, Chris Brodsky, Corey Brown, Elaine Brown, Karen Bruno, Shauna Brusuelas, Paul Bruyere, Myrna Buckley, Joy Buenamea, Azucena Buffalo, Kurt Buffalo, Shannon Burgess, Valerie Burns, Darrell Bursheim, Kay Bush, Carolyn Butler, Arek Butler, Lillie Butler, Loraine Butler, Reggie Byers, William Cabral, Michelle Cabrera, Diane Cagey, Christine Cain, Shirley Calf Boss Ribs, Kathy Candelaria, Kurvin
Carter, Vernon Cass, Evelyn Castagne, Catherine Cazares-Diego, Andrea Cecil, Cindy Cellitti, Phoebe Cenizal, Robyn Cerda, Hector Ceron, Herminia Chae, Ann Chaliak, Jim Chalmers, Cathy Chandler, Lora Chapin, Prairie Rose Chapman, Carizma Charboneau, Hettie Charles, Anthony Chartrand, Florence Chase, Erin Chase, Laurie Chavarillo, Eliza Chilberg, Sarah Chouteau, Camilla Christensen, Kim Christensen, Marilyn Church, Cassondra Clairmont, Bonnie Clark, Coleen Cochrane, Alex Cody, Thomas Collins, Priscella Connor, Angela Contois, David Contreras, Alexis Cook, Beverly Cook, Nicole Cook, Shad
Francis, Debra Frank, Virginia Frazer, Patty Frizzell, Linda Fuhrman, Kimberly Gachupin, Henrietta Gaede, Valorie Garcia, Chasity Garcia, Ruben Garcia, Suzanne Garza, Courtney Genereauy, Joan Geronimo, Natell Gertz, Taletha Gescheidle, Corinne Gibson, Tamara Gibson, Yolanda Gilchrist, Devon Gilman-Bagwill, Brenda Givens-Denley, Sherrill Glasspoole, Amanda Glesener, David Goddard, Tyler Goggleye, Calvin Gogue, Vernaline Gokee-Rindal, Linda Golec, Roger Gonzales, Dawn Gonzalez, Carlene Gooden, Myrna Goodthunder, Ruth Goodwin, Cheri’ Gorman, Carlee Gourneau, Roxanne Gragg, Tara Greear, Becky Green, Gloria
Green, Morningstar Greendeer-Rave, Michelle Greif, Lisa Gritz, Melissa Grubbs, Lisa Guetter, Amanda Gutierrez, Stephanie Guzman, Cynthia Hall, Ashley Hallingstad, Nicole Hancock, Emily Hanna, Dana Hansen, Ava Hanson Olanna, Tonya Hanson-Hietala, Jacquelyn Harder, Leah Harris, Wendy Harrison, Jahai Harvey, Mary Ann Harvey, Sheronnabah Hawley, Monica Hawthorn Mayes, Jennifer Hawthorne, Paulie Hay, Megan Hazelwood, Nanette Height, Natalia Henderson, Traci Herbert, Valentina Hernandez, Ann Herrera, Katrina Herzberg, Linda Hill, Kristi Hillaire, Lutie Hillaire, Penny Hinton, Cora Hitchcock, Barbara Hoffman, Kendra
Hoffman, Shay Holmes, Marian Holt, Jill Holtsoi, Robert Homer, Frank Homer-Lundgren, Nicole Hong, Anthony Hooee, Gerald Hook, Helen Hopkins, Angela Hopper, Sarah Hoskins, Laurel Howard, Jenelle Howard, Ryan Howe, Regina Howg, Tracey Hutchason, Maggi Iron Shooter, Stephanie Isais, Marie Jackson, Christine Jacobs, Reanna Jago, James James, Eunice James, Sierra Jarobe, Karen Jasper, Andrew Jasper, Sarah Jauregui, Eleanor Jenkins, Kim Jensen, Christos Jewett, James Jock, Kawenniiosta Joe, Daphne Joe, John John, Jimmy John, Willie Johnson, Ariana
Johnson, Elizabeth Johnson, Kris Johnson, Ramona Johnson, Sarah Jones, Anderson Jones, Lisa Jones, Rickey Juga, Teresa Jurss, Leah Kanuk, Julia Katzeek, Margaret Kazhe-Garcia, Sherry Keator, Karli Keezer, Jody Keller, Stella Kelly, Lawrence Kimberly, Roberta Kincaid, Elizabeth King, Isar King, Tracy Kingbird, Wenona Kittrell, Clint Knife Chief, Teresa Krantz, Sharon Kreth, Rebecca Kreuzer, Blair Kronick, Will Kuerschner, Suzie Kuhl, Mindy Laduke, Josie Lafrinier-Ritchie, Anne Lamattina, Leah LaMere, Frank LaMere, Jody LaMere, Leah LaRoque, Resa Ledoux, Virginia
Abalone
Lementino-Gasper, Claudia Leslie, Derrick Lightning, Emma LIghtning-Earle, Koren Lindley, Sharon Little, Amanda Logan, Linda Logan, William Lomanto, Amy Longrie, Michaela Loomis, Josephine Lopez, Christina Lopez, Marisol Lopez, SanJuanita Lorenzini, Kimberly Louis, Helen Luna, Steve Macias, Tessa Magnan, Robin Magoosh, Joellyn Mahaney, Laurel Maher, Nakomis Mahoney, Jaclyn Mai, Marilee Maldonado, Allie Malone, Arthur Malone, Crystal Malutin, Denise Mandamin, Audrey Mantovani, Claudio Many Birds, Ann Marchand-Cecil, Cynthia Martin, Constance Martin, Michaelina Martine, Kandis Martin-Wolfe, Cindy
Mason, Shary Matte, Paul Matte, Virginia Matthews, Angela Maxwell, Patricia Maytwayashing, Michael McAdoo, Amanda McBrayer, Edward McCall, Krisstyn McCowin, Barbara McCreary, James McDonald, Kim McGeshick, Melissa McGinnis, Robin Medacco, Spring Mendez, Rena Merino, Janice Merrifield, Joel Metcalfe, William Mettenburg, Jane Michaud, Pam Miedema, Janelle Miller, Eleanor Mills, Cynthia Minnik, Wylma Minthorn, Shelly Miranda, Chelsie Mitchell, John Mitchell, Kristine Mitchell, Nicole Molina, Amber Molina, Pedro Momper, Sandy Monette, Gerald Monroe, Jamie Monroe, Tanya Montalvo, Robert
Moore, Erika Moore, Fintan Moore, Tori Mora, Lliana Morales, Glade Morgan, Reannon Morin, Violet Morsaw-Banghart, Ann Munnell, Gina Myers, Bill Naquayouma, Angelia Narang, Dolly Neis, Dorothy Nelson, Bette Nelson, Edith Nelson, Kyle Nez, Betty Nez, Pete Nicolai, Lisa Noisey, Aaron Noonan, Dennis Norris, Brandon North Cloud, Beaver Oberle, Linda Ohman, Matt Old Person, Roy Oldfield, Amy Oldman, Arnella Olsen, Chad Ombisa Skallet, Heidi One Bear Spang, Robyn Ormsby, Julianna Ortiz, Julia Owen, Carrie Pacini, Tracy Padron-Plass, Lea Palacios, Sonia
Palantone, Barbara Panana, Dave Paquette, Tammy Parr, Delia Pascual, Ashley Pasena, Samantha Paul, Kathy Payne, Kara Pearson, Cherilu Pecora, Dian Pecora, Peter Pederson, Michelle Pedro, Jay Peralta, Maureen Perez, Jennie Perkins, Tatiana Perry-Martell, Robin Peterson, Darlene Peterson, Evelyn Peterson, Gary Philbrick, Alizabeth Plumage, Becky Polit, Aimee Potter, Bobbi-Jo Powell, Misty Price, Rebecca Provost, Kevin Quiver, Adelbert Rain, Geraldine Ramstad, Jessica Randle, Sharon Reano, Delfino Red Leaf, Jacqueline Redner, Lovina Reer, Lynn Reeves, Jan Rembold, Elizabeth
Requilman-Bowden, Michelle Resoff, Linda Reveles, James Rex, Loretta Rhodes King, Irma Rice, Marina Rich, John Richardson, Crystal Richey, Pamela Richmond, Bobby Rigby, Cathy Rispoli, Anthony Robertson, Michelle Rodriguez, Mona Roe, Patricia Roehr, Vincent Rondeaux, Crystal Rose, Laurie Rouillard, Willow Round Stone, Mark Roy, Judy Roybal, Edward Ruis, Linda Runnar, March Rupert, Wallace Russell, April Russell, Jodi Saddleback, Vernon Sage, Melanie Sailor, Nicole Salem, Neda Salinas, Erika Salois, Emily Matt Sanchez, Ariana Sanchez, Ryan Sanchez, Tinisha
Sanders, Diana Sanderson, Cheryl Sandoval, Jimel Sasakamoose, Clayton Sasakamoose, Lisa Saunders, Duane Savior, Verbena Scalpcane, August Scannapieco, Maria Scheid, Tiffany Schildt, Brent Schmitt, Holly Schneider-Hobbs, Darcy Schrock, Keri Schroeder, Marty Schryer, Stacy Schubert, Tina Schug-Johnson, Leanne Scott, Matthew Seciwa, April Seguin, Cynthia Seymour, Rachele Shapiro, Lauren Sheperd, Kimberly Sherrill, James Shircel, Erik Shireman, Joan Siewell, Paul Skinner, Juli Slizewski, Michael Small Bear, Pete Smith, Alisha Smith, Paula Smith, Robert Smith, Sandra Smith, Shannon Smith, Trisha
Smith, Willow Snell, Arleata Soder, Natalie Soholt, Jody Solomon, Mary Anne Spencer, Alton Spencer, Roger Spoonhunter, Hidonee Srinivasan, Parvathi St. George, Rebecca St. Goddard, Nathan Stahelin, Sarah Stand, Darren Stark, Kekek Jason Stark, Lisa Starr, Maria Stephens, Kori Stephens, Michele Stevens, Brandon Stiller, Linda Stonestand, Lorraine Sundberg, Angela Sundell, John Swain, Carrie Swanson, Tammy Tafoya, Chris Tanana, Heather Tasker, Wyanet Taylor, Nina Tellett, Anne Tenorio, Esther Tenorio, Mary Thomas, Marcel Thompson, J’Shon Thompson, Sue Thorbjornsen, Brian Tipps-Webster, Tristan
Tolbert, Renay Tovar, Molly Towell, Katy Trancosa, Shawna Trope, Jack Tsaipi, Charlene Tuesday, Carl Tulee, Betsy Tunney Rogers, Tallerita Turgeon, Lorna Twining Blue, Elizabeth Ullrich, Jessica Valandra, Dave Valenzuela, Angela Van Zile, Marisa Van Zile, Nicholas Vasquez, Valerie Vazquez, Moises Vedder, Laura Velasquez, Latitia Vetter, Rochelle Victoroff, Carla Vu, Lisa Wait, Dorothy Walker, Lenora Walkner, Amy Wallulatum, Vincent Wall-Wilbert, Lisa Waquie, Christine Ward, LIsa Warren, Deanna Wass, Laura Waters, Stacie Watrous, Sarah Jane Watters, Charlotte Weaver, Stephen Webster, Janet
Wesaw, Alex Wesaw, Matt Wheeler, Melanie Wherley, Corinne White, Craig White, Jennifer White Eagle, Amanda White Eagle, Gail White Hair, Sunshine White Hat, Marlies White Hawk, Sandra Whitekiller, Virginia Whiteman, Jeanine Whitney, Sara Whitworth, Brandelle Wilcox, Carole Wilcox, Darlene Wilcox, Rebecca Williams, Diana Williams, Melissa Williams, Nitausha Williams, Tara Willier, Darlene Wilson, Chandra Wilson, Juliann Wilson, Juliette Wilson, Matilda Wilson, Todd Wittmann, Sarah Wittmann, Susan Wolfe, Clifford Wright, Natasha Wright, Ted Yahtin, Shawnetta Yalch, Jacqueline Yazzie, Melissa Yazzie, Wilfred
Ybarra, April Yellowhammer, Terri York, Laurie Young, Dana Young, Joseph
Casey Family ProgramsSeattle Casey Family ProgramsYakima Delta Dental of Minnesota Seminole Media Productions U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry LLP Spirit Rock Consulting State of Alaska Office of Children’s Services University of OK National Resource Center for Youth Services
Turquoise
Associate
Ain Dah Yung Center American Indian Health & Family Services AMERIND Risk Management Corporation Capacity Building Center for Tribes Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation Denver Indian Family Resource Center, Inc. Handel Information Technologies Humboldt State University, Department of Social Work Native American Community Services Nebraska Families Collaborative Nevada Division of Child and Family Services New York Council on Adoptable Children
Carlton County Public Health & Human Services
Associate Belcher, Vertis George, John Ortiz, Manuelita Rawson, Lorianne Zimin, Lorianne
Organizational Members Coral Casey Family ProgramsArizona Casey Family ProgramsAustin Casey Family ProgramsBay Area Casey Family ProgramsDenver Casey Family ProgramsHeadquarters Casey Family ProgramsIdaho Casey Family ProgramsLA County Casey Family ProgramsSan Antonio Casey Family ProgramsSan Diego
Tribal Members Coral Ak-Chin Indian Community Cherokee Nation Chickasaw Nation Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana Greenville Rancheria Match-e-be-nash-shewish Band of Pottawatomi Indians Mescalero Tribal Human Services Native Village of Port Lions Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians
Pueblo of Pojoaque Seminole Tribe of Florida Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians Turquoise Apache Tribe of Oklahoma ICW Prevention Program Cedarville Rancheria
Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska Cook Inlet Tribal Council Delaware Tribe of Indians Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians Makah Nation Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Nisqually Indian Tribe Nome Eskimo Community Osage Nation Osage Nation Social Services Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Pueblo of Acoma Pueblo of San Felipe Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma Quinault Indian Nation Sac and Fox Nation Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe San Carlos Apache Tribe
Santa Ynez Band of Chumash IndiansSantee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska Seneca Nation of Indians Salamanca Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota South Naknek Village Council Susanville Indian Rancheria Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) of Massachusetts Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts (Mashpee) Ysleta del Sur Pueblo
Thanks to all our investors who make NICWA’s mission possible!
FY 2016 NICWA Financials Revenues Grants and contracts
$1,238,009
Contributions
$240,571
Memberships
$86,592
Program service fees and reimbursements
$263,490
Conference and training revenue
$506,378
Product sales
$23,573
Interest income
$16
Assets released from restrictions: Satisfaction of program restrictions
$675,796
Total
$3,034,425
Expenses Program services
$2,073,876
Management and general
$752,863
Fundraising
$355,822
Total
$3,182,561
Net assets, beginning of year
$1,998
Revenue Over Expenses
$(146,138)
Please note that every effort is made possible to ensure that our Investor and Member listings are an accurate account of all gifts made during our 2016 fiscal year and as such regrets any omissions or errors that may have occurred in assembling these lists. To make a correction or to request further information, please contact Kim Christensen, development director at (503) 222-4044 ext. 123.
Community-Based Participatory Research At NICWA, research means the “gathering of data and information to support the well-being of Native children and families.” We aim to gather the best available knowledge about current developments in child welfare and children’s mental health. We have a focus on cultural factors and strengths-based approaches to supporting Native children, youth, and families. We believe in the wisdom and power of community-centered and culturally based healing approaches, and we are working to help build an evidence base to support them. We also work to defend ICWA through conducting research to gather data showing how ICWA benefits Native youth, children, and families. In our research projects, communities are treated as full partners. Communitybased participatory research (CBPR) involves communities at every stage of a research project, including defining the research question, designing the study,
collecting data, analyzing data, and writing up and presenting research results. For NICWA, CBPR also means inviting Native youth to participate as collaborators in our research—as partners in designing research studies, collecting data, and interpreting results. Because we employ a CBPR method in all of the research we conduct, we have a big stake in continually improving CBPR as an effective method for communities to get data to inform their decisions and improve outcomes for their members. In fact, NICWA cares so much about continuing to strengthen the science of CBPR that we are a co-principal investigator on a five-year project, with the University of New Mexico, University of Washington, and other partners, called Engage for Equity that aims to test tools for community-academic partnership evaluation and self-assessment to support partnerships in achieving their self-determined goals.
July
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Workforce Capacity and Leadership Initiative NICWA is thrilled to partner with Meyer Memorial Trust (MMT) on a workforce capacity and leadership development project aimed at expanding our internal ability to provide community development services to reservation and urban AI/AN communities. This pilot initiative allows us to test and refine our leadership training, designed to strengthen tribal and Indian nonprofit capacity for positive change in Oregon and across the nation, by beginning with our own staff—with the goal of expanding training to university and tribal cohorts in the future.
Care 101; and question, persuade, and refer suicide prevention techniques. These experiences increased team building through collective learning experiences, coaching, and mentoring.
NICWA approached this work by using a combination of staff development strategies, leadership development activities, and coaching in the office and in the field. Over the past year, seven staff had the opportunity to shadow experienced professionals in the field, and four trainings were offered for all NICWA staff in content areas such as de-escalation; trauma-informed skills building; Systems of
This grant allowed NICWA to be more intentional in how we prepare staff to be successful in serving tribal communities. As a result, program staff are more confident in their work and feel that they are making a larger, more meaningful impact for those we serve. We cannot wait to expand this important work beyond NICWA staff in the coming years!
Additional goals of our two-year grant with MMT include a review and update of existing curriculum, an update to our online ICWA training course, clarifying the NICWA library’s role in support of programmatic work, and designing a professional development model for new staff onboarding and ongoing needs.
August
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Community Development NICWA’s approach to technical assistance (TA) is to help find and build on solutions and resources already available in a community through empowering local leaders, program staff, and advocates in creating and implementing their own solutions. We support building problem-solving skills and strategies, facilitating community processes, and sharing technical information and knowledge so that communities can achieve their own goals. Within this TA context, NICWA specializes in culturally appropriate practice and program design. As an Indian-led organization, NICWA has developed a relational worldview practice model that fits the Native way of acting in and viewing the world. It is not as linear as the mainstream European/ American worldview, but focuses on finding the right balance of the environment, infrastructure, mission, and resources of a community, program, or system. This leads to the alignment of a tribe’s services with their community’s needs and resources. It encourages cross-system relationships and cooperation both within a tribe’s departments (such as health care, justice, social services, and education) and allies outside a tribal community (such as county and state governments). NICWA provided TA to 14 tribal communities over the last year through our community development work with Systems of Care grantees supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
September
September is Suicide Prevention Month National Indian Child Welfare Association • www.nicwa.org S UNDAY
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October 2017 S M T W T F S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
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Labor Day
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Grandparent’s Day
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NICWA Training Institute, Minneapolis, MN, September 12–14
World Suicide Prevention Day
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Yom Kippur Begins at Sundown
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Membership As a national, member-based, nonprofit organization, NICWA’s strength is our members: over 850 tribes, organizations, and individuals who are committed to the protection of Native children and the preservation of Native families and their cultures. Our membership represent a variety of professions, including social workers, Indian child welfare directors, lawyers, tribal court staff and judges, adult adoptees, and foster parents/youth. We are proud of this strong and diverse group of advocates who work together to advance the vision of thriving Native children and families for generations to come. This last year NICWA worked to improve services to our members. Our efforts resulted in increased participation in our monthly member-only webinars and
e-bulletins and record-breaking member participation at our annual conference. We were thrilled to have 200 members attend the membership reception and annual meeting, where we were honored to recognize Frank LaMere (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska) with our 2016 Member of the Year award. Additionally, 43 new members joined onsite, 72 current members took selfies and made videos for our member social media campaign, and 90 members submitted feedback surveys to inform our work in the coming year. Thank you to our wonderful NICWA members for your support and involvement. We are committed to providing you with access to quality information, networks, and resources, and continuing to advocate with and for you and the communities you serve!
October
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Native American Day
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Halloween
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Training Institutes Training Institutes are one of the ways NICWA members and supporters make connections with one another in the Indian child welfare field and stay abreast of the timeliest information. These are regional events held across the nation to provide training, skills building, education, and networking opportunities. These events draw individuals and groups of tribal and state child welfare workers, lawyers, judges, and educators. Last year, NICWA trainers traveled to four states for Training Institutes: Oregon, New Mexico, Alaska, and Minnesota. These trainings were open to the public and attracted 342 participants. Attendees were able to choose from four courses: ICWA Basics, Advanced ICWA, Positive Indian Parenting (PIP), and Tribal Customary Adoption. ICWA Basics and Advanced ICWA provided participants with the basic legal
requirements of ICWA and an understanding of the practice issues involved with its implementation. Participants were given strategies for implementing ICWA and how to successfully integrate other federal and state policies that interface with ICWA. Through these two trainings, the BIA regulations were addressed, and participants increased their understanding of this new rule. PIP, one of our most popular trainings, prepared tribal and non-tribal child welfare personnel to train AI/AN parents using a culturally specific approach. The materials presented during this training draw on the strengths of historic Indian child-rearing patterns and blend traditional values with modern skills. Tribal Customary Adoption training provided guidance on how to incorporate this concept into a tribe’s code and practice through a community-driven process, reviewed actual tribal codes, and illustrated how states can support tribal customary adoption practices.
November
November is American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month National Indian Child Welfare Association • www.nicwa.org S UNDAY
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National Adoption Day
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NICWA Training Institute, Albuquerque, NM, November 7–9
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ICWA’s 39th Anniversary
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Thanksgiving
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2018 Annual Conference Call for Presentations Due
United Nations Universal Children’s Day
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ICWA Defense NICWA’s government affairs and advocacy work is designed to meet the ongoing needs of vulnerable Native children and families through the promotion of ICWA compliance, and the protection of tribes’ inherent right to protect and care for their member children and families. Over the last several years, NICWA and our partners made tremendous gains in defense of ICWA, including the establishment of a multi-agency ICWA compliance effort between the federal Justice, Health and Human Services, and Interior departments. In addition, NICWA was a leading voice in successfully updating federal ICWA guidelines in 2015 and the subsequent release of new comprehensive regulations in 2016. We helped rally Indian Country, which resulted in 2,100 filed comments on the new proposed rule—with NICWA alone filing 50 pages of comments and recommendations. In addition, we regularly coordinate with ICWA experts in crafting a unified public education strategy and recruiting diverse coalitions of national partners. In 2015, we worked with a coalition of leading national child and family organizations who wanted to express their support for the exemplary child welfare standards that ICWA embodies, which resulted in a broad show of support for the new ICWA regulations calling ICWA the “gold standard” of child welfare policy and practice. We regularly engage in social media campaigns as part of our public education work about the history of, ongoing need for, and impact of ICWA to help shift the “court of public opinion” by humanizing Indian families and communities, as well as helping the public understand the need for tribes to protect their member children and the need for children to be parented by extended family, in their own community, wherever possible. An example of this work was seen in the recent crowdsourced #DefendICWA campaign, garnering 330 posts.
December
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NICWA Training Institute, Miami, FL, December 5–7
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